


The Secret Life of Castiel Novak

by castiheller



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adventure, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Destiel - Freeform, Destiel Fluff, Fluff, M/M, castiel - Freeform, destiel au, destiel fic, the secret life of walter mitty au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 21:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5513213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castiheller/pseuds/castiheller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Novak is your typical dreamer who has always wanted to do things, but never has. But when his job and that of his coworker, Dean Winchester, is threatened, Castiel goes on an amazing journey to try and save it. Along the way he not only discovers what it means to live, but also what it means to love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first longer fic, I hope you guys really enjoy it. Tell your friends ;) feedback is always appreciated, thanks for reading!!

Castiel Novak sat in front of his computer staring at Dean Winchester’s mesmerizing green eyes gazing back at him through the screen. The only reason he had gotten an account with _eHarmony_ was because he heard Dean mention it at work. But not to him, to someone else. He and Dean didn’t talk and Castiel wouldn’t be surprised if the other man wasn’t even aware of his existence.

His profile was pretty standard. He liked classic rock music, loved his car, had a son, a brother who lived in Massachusetts, and was a dog owner. But only because his son, Ben, wanted one. Castiel laughed softly, he liked Dean.

He should send him a wink. His finger hovered over the mouse, ready to click the button, and then, he did it. Castiel stood up in a sudden panic, but also, in a moment of relief. And then, just as soon as it had come, the moment was gone. A message had popped up on the screen:

**Unable to perform request**

He clicked the button again, and, once again, the message appeared. Castiel sat down at his computer and looked up the help number for the website. He quickly wrote it down and picked up his briefcase. He had to leave or he was going to be late for work.

***

Castiel sat down at a bench on the platform where he got on the train every morning. He had about ten minutes before it arrived, that should be plenty of time to make a quick phone call. He pulled out the paper where he wrote down the helpline number, and quickly punched it into his cell phone.

“Hello, _eHarmony_ , this is Charlie.”

“Um, hello, my name is Castiel Novak and I’m having a problem sending a wink to someone.”

“Oh, uh, I’ve never come across that but okay. Just let me pull up your profile quick.” He heard some typing on the other line and then nothing. “Um, Castiel, it doesn’t seem that you have a lot on your profile.”

“I know, I skipped much of it.”

“Well… Maybe we should fill some of it in,” she suggested.

“Actually, I was just looking to send a wink to one particular person, um, Dean Winchester? He works in my building and I heard him mention he had an account with you.”

“Well... That’s unique,” Charlie commented, though she didn’t sound genuine. “Here’s what I can do, Castiel—” Just then he heard a dog barking. Castiel dropped the phone from his ear.

Castiel Novak stood up from where he was seated and ran down the platform. He leapt from the edge and burst through the window of an apartment building. He found the dog and evacuated the building.

“Everyone out, there’s a gas leak! She’s going to blow!” He yelled as he emerged from the doors.

“Holy shit!” Dean said, running up to him. Castiel passed him his dog, a small rat terroir, and the other man accepted it gratefully. Castiel grabbed Dean by the hand and shielded the other man with his body as the building blew up behind them. “Wow, Cas that was amazing.” Castiel rubbed the back of his neck and smiled.

“It was nothing, really,” he said.

“Hey, Castiel? Castiel you there?” He heard Charlie’s voice and saw his train leaving the station. He had missed it, again. He put the phone next to his ear and sighed.

“Yes?”

“Dude what happened? Did you pass out or something?” She sounded a little concerned, but mostly amused.

“No, I just, uh, kind of zoned out.”

“Do you do that a lot?”

“Yeah kinda, hey listen I have to run or I’ll be late for work.”

“Castiel, wait—” But he didn’t wait, he hung up the phone. He picked up his briefcase from the bench and ran off the platform. Maybe he could catch a cab and somehow manage to miss the early morning, New York traffic.

***

Castiel took a deep breath before he entered the building, trying to collect himself. He clutched his briefcase tighter and skipped up the stairs and walked in through the doors. He had been a loyal employee of _Life_ magazine for sixteen years. He nodded to a couple people as he walked up to security.

“Cassie! Castiel! Hey!” He groaned and turned around slowly. His younger sister, Hannah, was running towards him waving her hands attempting to get his attention. “Happy birthday big brother!”

“What are you wearing?” he asked as she got closer.

“I got this amazing opportunity, Cassie,” she said. She had a pale pink shirt on with a navy bra clearly visible underneath, faded jeans, stilettos, and her hair was crimped and tied up in some kind of a crazy bun. “I have an important audition as Betty Rizzo in Grease.”

“What?”

“Grease, Rizzo? Ah, never mind. Here, this is from mom.” She shoved a cake into his arms. It was the clementine cake his mother made.

“Aren’t you supposed to be helping her move in?” Castiel asked.

“I have this audition! It’s up to you now," she said.

“Hannah I can’t do that, I have to work! Forget about the audition and go help mom. I’ll be over around three, okay?” And before she could say another word, he slipped beyond the security checkpoint and walked to the elevator. His friend Uriel was standing outside of the doors with a couple other guys he knew.

“Good morning. How are you guys?” Castiel said.

“Not too good, we just found out we’re being downsized. _Life_ magazine is going online,” Uriel explained.

“When? How many people are we losing?” Castiel asked. This was a big change, there was no way they were going to keep everyone.

“I could probably answer those questions for you,” A voice behind them said. Castiel turned to find himself face to face with a shorter man. His beard was styled funny and he wore an expensive three-piece suit that would take Castiel four months to save up for. He had an accent as well, probably British. “The name’s Crowley, I’m the new project manager.”

“Well whose jobs will be safe?” One of the other men asked as the elevator dinged. They all walked inside and Uriel pressed the button for the third floor.

“Can’t say for sure. What are your jobs exactly?” Crowley asked. The other men stated their job titles, and then it was his turn. “And what about you, scruffy?” Castiel smirked.

“All I’ve got to say is that your beard would look a lot better on Dumbledore than it does on you.” The men behind him laughed and Crowley’s face went slack.

“Hello, you in there?” Crowley was waving his hand back and forth in front of Castiel’s face, he had zoned out again. “What do you do here?”

“Uh, I’m a negative assets manager,” Castiel mumbled. Crowley snorted.

“Worth the wait," he mumbled. The elevator dinged and Castiel rushed out past the others. The upstairs offices were crowded and bustling with people, like they were every morning. He weaved in between the various bodies and headed towards the break area so he could get a cup of coffee. He saw Dean standing a little off to the side and smiled at him.

“Hey,” Dean said with a smile.

“Uh, hi,” Castiel said, blushing slightly.

“How was your weekend?”

“Good—” he began to say, but another man ran out from behind him. Dean had not been talking to him. Castiel turned away, embarrassed, and busied himself with pouring a cup of coffee.

“So what did you do this weekend, brother,” he heard the other man, Benny, ask Dean.

“Nothing really. Just laid in a tub while my Latin lover massaged my shoulders.” There was clearly sarcasm in his voice, but Castiel couldn’t help but fantasize.

The walls blew out from behind Dean suddenly, and Castiel stepped through the opening, the arctic winter following behind him. Dean turned around to face him, clearly astonished.

“My name is Castiel Novak,” he said with a thick Latin accent.

“Dean Winchester. Where have you been?”

“Testing the limits of the human experience,” Castiel said and Dean raised his eyebrows.

“I’d like to climb your hair, test that out," Dean flirted.

Something hit the back of Castiel’s neck and he spun around to see Crowley with two other men standing off to either side of him.

“Oh, there’s Mr. Tune-Out.” The other men laughed and Castiel grabbed his cup of coffee and walked down to his office. It was quieter down there and lacked the constant hustle and bustle of the rest of the building.

“Gabe O’Connor sent you a package,” his partner, Samandriel, told him when he walked inside. “And he sent in a bunch of negatives too, rumor is one of those is the last cover of the magazine.” Castiel set down his briefcase on his desk and picked up the package. He tore open the wrapping and removed a piece of paper. Gabe had written him a letter.

 

_Castiel,_

_Sorry to hear about the magazine. Look inside, I wanted this last cover to be special: negative #25. Also, apologies for the messy negatives. Some blood dripped onto them while I was stitching up my abdomen._

_Enjoy the gift,_

_Gabe_

 

The gift was a wallet. Castiel unfolded the leather and smiled as he read the quote that was embossed into the material: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel, that is the purpose of life.” Castiel set the gift from Gabe aside and took a look at the negatives.

“Number twenty-five is missing,” Castiel said in a sudden panic. There was a knock on the door and Catiel spun around. Meg Manders popped her head inside and smiled at him.

“Um, there’s a floor meeting in ten. Crowley wants you to bring number twenty-five,” she said.

“Of course,” Castiel said.

“Okay, floor meeting, ten minutes, twenty-five.” She smacked the door frame twice and then continued down the hallway. Castiel spun back around and Samandriel joined him at his desk.

“It has to be here somewhere,” his partner said. They searched in the wrapping and all around the desk but found nothing.

“I guess I’ll just have to get a hold of Gabe,” Castiel mumbled and Samandriel laughed.

“No one talks to Gabe O’Connor, Cas, you of all people should know that.”

***

“We have the privilege of publishing what will be the very last issue of _Life_ magazine,” Crowley said. “And, from what I’ve been told, the one and only Gabriel O’Connor has contacted the head of staff directly for the first time, and told us which of his photos he wants featured on the very last cover. And, as he stated, he would like it to capture the ‘quintessence’ of life.” Crowley frowned and turned to one of his assistants.

“What exactly does that mean?” He asked one of them.

“Um it means like the essence or embodiment,” one of them whispered.

So—” Crowley said, spinning around to look at Castiel “—Do you have the photograph?” Castiel cleared his throat and stepped forward a little.

“No, it’s, ah, being processed.” Crowley rolled his eyes.

“Well when it’s finished ‘processing’ I would like to see it immediately. I have bosses you know, and this issue has a deadline.” Castiel nodded. “Alright, back to work!”

***

Castiel sat outside of the building on the steps, examining the negatives that had the best quality. He had Samadriel blow them up, hoping he could find some clues that pointed to where Gabe was right now.

“Hey,” a voice called. Castiel looked up, confused when he saw Dean walking towards him, four cups of coffee sitting in a tray.

“Hey,” Castiel responded.

“So, you’re in charge of getting the final cover up, huh?” Dean said, looking at the photograph he held in his hands; it was a picture of a thumb that was adorned with an interestingly designed ring. “I’m Dean Winchester, by the way.”

“Castiel Novak,” he said shaking Dean’s hand.

“So, is that the cover?” Dean asked.

“Uh, no,” Castiel admitted. “We actually never received the actual photograph from Gabe, I’m trying to find him.” Dean sat down next to him and leaned over his shoulder. He smelled good, like leather and some kind of cologne.

“Well what pictures do you have? Maybe you could use them as clues.” Castiel nodded and showed him the other two pictures.

“Well I have the thumb, obviously, and I also have this one.” He tilted the negative towards Dean and the other man frowned.

“Water?” Castiel nodded.

“And then there’s this one as well.” He said showing Dean the last picture. It was an oddly curved shape that looked like it could be wood, though it was difficult to be sure.

“What is that?” Dean asked and Castiel shrugged.

“I’m not sure.” Dean frowned.

“Well if you need anything from me, just ask. I’m always glad to help.”

“Thank you, Dean.” Dean smiled and stood from his seat, careful not to spill the coffee. Castiel watched him climb the steps to head back inside the building. He sighed and gathered up the negatives, he had to head over to his mother’s house.


	2. Chapter 2

Castiel’s eyes widened as he watched the piano hanging in front of the window of his mother’s new apartment. Hannah, who stood next to him, grasped his arm as the large instrument began to sway back and forth in the wind.

“It’s not going to fit,” she said. Castiel squinted up at the man controlling the crane.

“Just bring it down!” He shouted. The man followed his instruction and Castiel walked into the apartment building with Hannah following close behind. His mother would not want to move into her new home without her piano. It was a gift from their father.

“Here’s what I can do,” the landlord said. “I have a condo on the first floor that’s opening up in four days.”

“We’ll take it,” Castiel said without hesitation.

“Alright I’ll mark you down.”

“Thank you,” Castiel said. He and his sister took the elevator to the top floor and met their mother in what was supposed to be her knew apartment. They explained the situation to her but she only shrugged it off.

“It’s not a problem, dears,” she insisted.

“You can live with me for a couple of days,” Castiel said, closing the boxes she had starting unpacking.

He was shutting the lid of one of them when a small book caught his eye. It was black and leather with one word imprinted on the cover: Travels. He flipped through the blank pages that were waiting to be filled in. Castiel smiled. He remembered this book.

“What have you got, Cassie?” Hannah asked, leaning over his shoulder.

“It’s, uh, it’s that book dad gave to me. He wanted me to fill it in with all of my adventures.” He opened up the box to drop the book back inside and found a photograph sitting on the top of the rest of the contents.

“Oh my God,” Castiel said.

“Mom what is this?” Hannah asked, gesturing to the box.

“Oh,” she said as she shuffled over. “That’s my Castiel box. I have one for both you kids.” She peeked over Castiel’s shoulder as well and sighed. “That was back when you had that crazy Mohawk of yours.”

“Yeah,” Castiel said. The photo was of him and his dad. Castiel had a blue dyed Mohawk, a leather jacket, and a skateboard in his left hand. Looking at him now, you’d never know that he used to be a kid like this.

“I miss him,” Hannah said suddenly. She was talking about dad.

“We all do,” Castiel mumbled.

“But we had you,” their mother commented. “If it wasn’t for Cassie supporting the two of us, I don’t know how we would have gotten by.” She turned around and starting packing again. Hannah continued to rummage through his box and smiled when she found one of his old toys.

“Remember this?” she asked. It was a doll who had limbs that were extremely stretchy. They used to call him “rubber man”.

“Yes,” he said, taking the toy. Castiel’s phone started buzzing in his pocket and he rushed to answer it.

“Novak,” he said into the receiver.

“Castiel, it’s Samandriel. I found something in one of those photographs, you better get down here.”

“On my way.” He hung up the phone and stuffed the toy into his briefcase. He kissed his mother and sister on the cheek. “I’ve got to get down to the office, work to be done.”

“Alright my worker bee. I’ll see you when you get home,” his mother said.

***

“You see,” Samandriel said, shoving the photo into his face, “it’s a boat. The name is right there.”

“Erkigsnek?” Castiel said, reading the name reflected into the water. Samandriel shrugged. “Okay, this helps. Thanks Samandriel.” He picked up the photo and ran upstairs to where Dean’s desk was.

“Hey! Novak!” Castiel turned towards the voice. Crowley was walking towards him and he groaned inwardly. “Where’s twenty-five?”

 _Crap_.

“It’s in a cold bath,” Castiel said quickly. He knew Crowley knew nothing about negatives, he wouldn’t even know it was a lie.

“Well the next time I see you it better be in my hand, understand? We have deadlines here.”

“Yes, sir,” Castiel said, turning quickly on his heel. He was one step closer to finding Gabe and maybe, if he was lucky, Dean could tell him where this boat was.

Dean was sitting at his desk, typing quickly on his keyboard, eyes trained to the screen. He looked up for just a second and smiled when he saw Castiel walking towards him.

“Cas,” he said with a smile.

“Hello, Dean,” he responded, liking the new little nickname. “I was hoping you could help me out again?”

“Of course, what do you have for me?” Castiel leaned in and pointed to the corner of the photograph.

“That’s the name of a boat,” he said.

“And you think that’s where Gabe is?” Dean asked. Castiel nodded. “Here, I’ll _Google_ it, see what comes up.”

“I was actually about to go and do that. But I was walking by, thought you’d might want to see what I found,” he lied.

“Erkigsnek. It’s apparently a boat in Greenland.” Castiel wanted to groan. Why did Gabe always choose inconvenient places to visit?

“Thank you, Dean.”

“Hey any time, Cas,” Dean said.

***

Castiel sat on a park bench staring at the photographs he held in his hands. The only time he left the country was when he went to visit his cousins Michael and Raphael in Canada. He’d never been to anywhere like Greenland, and of all times this was not a good one to plan a surprise trip. But his job hung in the balance. He just needed to decide whether or not it would be worth it to leave.

“Cas?”

Castiel lifted his head and was shocked to see Dean Winchester walking towards him. Next to him was a young boy about seven whom he could only assume was Dean’s son. How many times were they going to run into each other today?

“Dean,” Cas said, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile.

“Ah, Ben, this is Cas. We work together,” Dean said. Ben looked at Castiel, clearly uninterested. He held a skateboard clutched in his left hand and wore a baseball cap on his head. No Mohawk, but Castiel knew the two of them have more in common than what meets the eye.

“Nice to meet you, Ben,” Castiel said.

“Dean Winchester? I haven’t seen you in forvever!” Dean spun around to find the person the voice belonged to. It was a petite blonde woman, very pretty.

“Jo Harvelle?” Dean said, sounding just as surprised as she was. “Excuse me for just a second,” Dean told Cas, leaving his son in his hands.

“So you board, huh?” Castiel asked.

“Yeah,” Ben answered.

“I used to a long time ago. Can I see?” he asked, holding out his hand. Ben handed the board over and Cas set it down on the sidewalk. He stepped on top and then jumped up, flipping the skateboard underneath his feet.

“Whoa,” Ben said. “Can you teach me?” Castiel nodded.

“The key is a wide stance,” he said, repeating the trick. He stepped off the board and handed it back to Ben. “You try.”

Ben stepped on top and got in the same position as Castiel had been in. He jumped and the board flipped under his feet. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely a start.

“Wow!” he exclaimed. Dean walked back over then, a wide smile on his face.

“Ready to go, Ben?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Thanks Cas.”

“Any time.” He turned to walk away but Dean caught his arm.

“Hey, just so you know I got confirmation that Gabe is on that boat.”

“Really?” Castiel asked.

“Yeah. I contacted his supervisor.” Castiel smiled.

“Thank you, Dean,” he said, taking off in the other direction.

“Where are you going?” Dean called after him.

“Greenland!”

***

So there he was, on a plane to Greenland with nothing but the clothes on his back and his briefcase for work. He had called his mom and said that he had a surprise work trip and he’d be back in a few days.

He landed in Greenland hours later with only one other man. Needing a car, he walked down to the rental place where someone met him at the window.

“Um, I need a car,” Castiel says.

“Yes. You get blue car or red car,” the man tells him, pointing at the two cars behind him. What a selection. Greenland was not a very popular destination.

“I’ll take the blue one,” he tells him and hands the man a wad of cash.

About a half hour later he finds a small pub off the shoreline. He parks his car in the empty lot and heads inside. There’s one man sitting at the bar and another singing karaoke up front. A woman is wiping down the counter and looks fairly surprised when Castiel walked inside.

“Hi, I’m looking for a man. He, uh, would be on a boat called the Erkigsnek,” he explains, knowing that he’s pronouncing the name horribly.

“You’re American,” she observes.

“Uh, yes.”

“The Erkigsnek?”

“Yes, yes, you know it?” Castiel asked, hope brimming up inside him.

“Yes, the Erkigsnek left a week ago. Long gone.” Castiel’s head dropped to the counter. He had flown all the way to Greenland for this. For all he knew, Gabe was already off of that boat. “You drink?”

“Yeah, sure,” Castiel said, sliding cash across the counter top. His eye caught sight of the drink of the man sitting next to him. It was a good, foot tall boot filled to the brim with coppery liquid. “But a small,” he added quickly. The woman took the money and poured him a glass. The man who was singing up front was still going on strong. He stumbled down from the small stage and walked over to where Castiel was sitting.

“Sing,” he demanded, shoving the microphone into Cas's face.

“Uh, no thanks I’m good.”

“ _Sing_.” Castiel grabbed his glass and started to stand up to move, but the man pushed him back down into his seat and raised his fist. And that’s when Castiel saw the ring on his thumb.

“Wait, wait! Don’t kill me, I need to talk to you about your ring!”

***

“The name’s Rufus. I’ve been flying helicopters for a long time,” the man said, taking a sip from his boot shaped glass.

“And that ring, um, did someone happen to photograph that?”

“Yep, some American fella’. Like you. Went on that boat.”

“Yeah, yeah he did. Can you fly out there?”

“As a matter a fact I’m going to in about ten minutes to deliver some radio parts. Soon as I finish my beer,” Rufus said, his words slurring together. Castiel nodded nervously.

“You’re going to fly out there?” Castiel asked, hoping he heard incorrectly.

“Yeah. I can take you if you’d like.” Castiel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, watching the cloudy sky with apprehension.

“Looks like a storm is rolling in,” he observed.

“Yeah, I’m worried about it. That’s why I had three beers,” Rufus mumbled, downing the last of his drink. “Well, if you want to go, we have to now.”

“I changed my mind,” Castiel said as he watched Rufus stumble towards the door.

“Suit yourself,” the man called back to him. Castiel sighed and leaned back into his chair. He heard someone walk on stage and saw none other than Dean Winchester. He was sitting on a stool, tuning his guitar.

“Um, hi. Not used to this big of a crowd,” he said into the microphone. “Uh, so this one goes out to Castiel Novak." He began with long strums and Castiel recognized the tune almost immediately, it was a classic.

“ _I was a little too tall, could’ve used a few pounds. Tight pants points hardly reknown. She was a black haired beauty with big dark eyes and points all her own sitting way up high. Way up firm and high_.”

What was he thinking? This was his only chance to find Gabe. The only one. If he didn’t go with Rufus now, he would never find number twenty-five. And then, surely, he would lose his job. Castiel ran out of the bar after the drunk pilot with Dean following right behind him singing “Night Moves”.

“ _Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy, up in the back seat of my '60 Chevy._ _Workin' on mysteries without any clues, workin' on our night moves. Trying' to make some front page drive-in news, workin' on our night moves in the summertime, in the sweet summertime_.”

He jumped into the helicopter just as it was lifting off the ground. Castile Novak _jumped into a helicopter_. And it was _real_.

“Eh! Bar guy!” Rufus greeted. Castiel laughed and hunkered down on the floor. He hoped it wasn’t a long ride. There were no doors on the sides, Castiel thought that might be a small safety hazard. He tried really hard to not picture his body plummeting down into the sea below. Within the hour they caught sight of the boat. A lump formed in Castiel’s throat as he watched the churning ocean.

“Alright, here you go American!” Rufus yelled.

“Where do we land?” Castiel asked.

“We don’t!” Castiel was going to be sick. “You see that boat? You have to jump into the boat!” Castiel nodded trying to focus on the ship rather than looking down towards the ocean.

“Are you sure?” Castiel yelled. “That looks far away!”

“Here, take the radio parts!” Rufus insisted, shoving a box into his hands. “Now go!”

And without hesitation, Castiel Novak leapt towards the boat. He looked up to see Rufus stick his head out of the helicopter, shock written across his face.

“Not that boat! The other—” Were the only words he heard, and then he plunged deep into the ice cold ocean. Castiel squealed a little when he felt the box slide out of his already numb fingers, but kicked towards the surface with determination. He gasped for air as his head broke the surface, and panicked as he realized he could not see over the waves.

“Help!” he yelled. “Help me!” He could hear panicked voices on the ship and then heard a small motor headed towards him. And that’s when he saw a fin break the surface of the water.

“Don’t worry!” The ship captain yelled to him. “It just porpoise, don’t worry!”

“Okay,” Castiel said to himself. “Just a porpoise.” And he continued to think that until three seconds later, when the obvious head of a shark appeared.

“That not a porpoise!” The captain yelled. And just as the overgrown fish was about to strike, Castiel felt arms lifting him out of the water into a small boat.

“Oh my God,” he gasped, looking up at the men who rescued him. He grabbed one of their faces, making sure what he had just experienced really happened.

“It was real!” he exclaimed. “It was all real.”

On the boat they wrapped him in a blanket immediately to fend off the inevitable hypothermia. One of the men gave him a sack as a replacement for his now ruined briefcase. The bag would probably be easier to carry anyways.

“Um is there another American on this ship? Gabe O’Conner?”

“Yes, he was on this ship,” one of the men he was sitting with answered.

“Was?”

“Yes, he left on a plane yesterday. To Iceland.” Castiel groaned.

“Is there a way you could radio him?”

“No, you dropped our radio parts in the ocean,” the captain said, obviously irritated.

“Could you get me to Iceland then?” Castiel asked.

“This boat normally would not go there. But now since we need to fix our radio, we will stop there tomorrow,” the captain said, heading to the top deck again.

“Did Gabe mention where in Iceland he was headed?” Castiel asked one of the other men.

“Eyjafjallajökull,” one of them answered.

“What?” Castiel asked.

“Eyjafjallajökull. Volcano.” Castiel nodded. One of the men opened the refrigerator and took out a slice of what seemed to be cake. He handed it to Castiel who took it hesitantly. He lifted the plastic wrap and was surprised by what he found underneath.

“Clementine cake?” he said. “My mother makes this.” The other men didn’t seem to care. Castiel pinched some between his fingers and dropped it into his mouth. It tasted just like hers too.


	3. Chapter 3

The boat made it to a port sometime that morning. Castiel shook the captain’s hand and thanked him for the hospitality, and apologized again for losing their radio parts.

“You better hurry,” he said. “Eyjafjallajökull is a long ways from here. You will need that bike.” He pointed to a bicycle leaning against a stump across the road.

“Ah, thank you,” Castiel said.

“But you better hurry, many men just got off another boat. They will all want the bike.” Castiel looked to his left and sure enough, a group of men were making their way across the dock. All at once they caught sight of the bicycle, and took off running. Castiel darted off after them with his ex-crew mates cheering him on. Somehow, he gained enough speed to surpass the group of men. He took the bike and swung a leg over and began pedaling down the road.

The air was a bit brisk but the sun was out. He looked off into the distance and could see a huge mountain, which he could only assume was the volcano. Castiel couldn’t remember the last time he felt this happy, or this free.

He looked up into the sky and watched a flock of birds form a shape; it looked like Dean. Suddenly, while he had been distracted, the bike skid and Castiel was thrown into the air. He landed face-first in the dirt on the side of the road. Groaning, he rolled over onto his back to evaluate the bicycle’s condition. The front wheel was now flat and the handle bars were bent, there was no way he could continue to ride it. He stood and brushed himself off and continued down the road.

Something buzzed in his pants pocket and he pulled out his phone, confused when he didn’t recognize the number. Hell, Cas was surprised that it even was still working.

"... Hello?"

“Castiel! It’s Charlie, from _eHarmony_?”

“Oh hey!” Castiel said. He was surprised she remembered him, or even wanted to call him back.

“I just woke up and was thinking about you,” she said.

“Really? Where are you?”

“San Francisco. What’re you doing right now?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m in Iceland actually.”

“Cas—can I call you Cas?”

“Sure.”

“That’s _insane_ , I can put that down on your profile if you’d like.”

“Yeah, go for it,” Castiel said. “Oh, also I was just in Greenland. And I jumped out of a helicopter.”

“Dude. Awesome. The guys are going to dig you.” Castiel laughed nervously into the receiver. “Or are you still pinning for that hottie? What’s his name? Dean?”

“That’s the one.”

“Cas I don’t know why he hasn’t fallen head over heels for you yet. You—”

“Hey Charlie, I don’t mean to interrupt but I really have to run,” Castiel said.

“Oh, hey, no problemo. I’ll just update your profile real quick.”

“Sounds great, thanks,” Castiel said and then he hung up the phone. He sighed in defeat as he saw the large expanse of road left ahead of him. But there were a couple houses about a half mile out, maybe someone could give him a ride.

At the first house he came upon, a family was packing hurriedly for a trip. Two boys stood at the end of the driveway, one had a longboard in his hand.

“Hello,” Castiel said as he approached them. He eyed the boy’s longboard. “A friend of mine has a son who would really like that.” He pointed to the board, but the boy seemed confused. “I’d like to make a trade.” Castiel rummaged through his bag for something, anything he could give the boy. And then he found it, rubber man.

“How about this?” He asked, holding the toy out for both boys to see. “He stretches, see? He’s fun.” Castiel demonstrated by pulling out the toy’s arms. The boys seemed interested. One held out his hand and Castiel gave him the toy. They conversed in their language for a couple seconds, and the boy with the board nodded.

“Yes,” he said, handing the board over to Castiel.

“Thank you,” he said. The parents behind the boys called them over. They seemed to be in quite the hurry. Castiel stuck the board underneath his arm and continued on. He still had to find Gabe.

***

The rest of the road continued down a steep hill. If Castiel was going to ride the board down it, he would need something to cover his hands. Up ahead he saw a large deposit of black rocks. They must have come from the volcano. Castiel knelt down in the pile and picked up two large stones the size of his palm. He removed his tie and ripped it in half with his teeth, using the fabric to secure the stones onto his hands. He was ready to ride.

He felt relaxed on the board, like he was coming home. He crouched down as he gained speed, and linked his fingers behind his back. The faster he went the better. A turn was coming up and he leaned into it, placing his hand onto the asphalt for balance. The rock, thankfully, remained tied securely to his hand. He stood again, stretching out his arms, feeling the wind weave between his fingers. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this free.

When he reached the bottom he turned the longboard sideways to stop it. Castiel spun around, looking for someone he could talk to. But there was no one around. The town was completely deserted. And then he saw a car coming toward him. As it slowed down, Castiel readied himself to ask where everyone else, but the driver beat him to it.

“Get in! Get in!” he said, his accent strong.

“What? Why?” Castiel asked.

“Eruption!” He pointed to the volcano.

“Eruption?”

“Yes, yes, get in!” the man insisted. Castiel obeyed and climbed into the passenger seat. He heard a noise then, like an engine, and looked up into the sky. It was a small plane, and there was a man standing on top of it with a camera set on a tripod.

“Gabe,” Castiel breathed. The driver took off just as there was an explosion from the volcano. Ash was everywhere and the cloud was heard straight towards them. Castiel spun around in his seat to look from the plane, turning just in time to see it disappear into the cloud. He could only hope that Gabe would find a way to survive.

The man dropped him off at the evacuation sight. They were both covered in ash, along with the man’s car.

“Thank you for coming for me,” Castiel said.

“You are welcome.”

“Is there an airport around here?” he asked.

“Yes, that direction. Inner city.”

“Thank you, again,” Castiel said. The man nodded and Castiel walked away to catch the next flight home.

***

“How was your work trip?” His mother asked as he walked into his apartment. She was standing at his stove cooking and his sister Hannah was getting plates for dinner.

“Fine,” Castiel said, tossing his keys onto the table. He leaned over his mother’s shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.

“It was kind of sudden, wasn’t it?” Castiel nodded, digging into his pocket to pull out the wallet Gabe sent him. He took out his cash and tossed it into the trash. Looking up he saw his mother’s piano and smiled, walking over to it. He sat on the bench and let his hands glide over the tops of the keys, remembering the days he used to play when he was younger. And then he saw it, the curve of wood. Just like in the negative.

“Hey mom,” he called.

“Yes dear?”

“Did Gabe O’Connor take a picture of your piano?”

“Oh, yes he did. I told you about that, though.” Castiel stood from the bench.

“When?”

“At the grocery store when we were buying zucchini. He came by to tell me about you. He said you’re the only one he trusts to handle his work. And then he took a couple pictures of the piano. He also said something about going to the Himalayas. He was in Iceland you know, just like you.”

“I really don’t remember you telling me any of this,” Castiel said.

“Well you probably went to one of your special places. Hannah what do you call it when he does that?”

“You zone out, Cassie,” Hannah said.

“That’s it: zone out.”

“Hey mom, Hannah, I’m really sorry but I have to go.”

“Again? But why—” He didn’t wait to hear what Hannah had to say. He needed to see Dean. He grabbed the longboard he took home from Iceland and rode it down to work. He found Uriel outside of the building smoking and jogged up the steps to meet him.

“Uriel, is Dean Winchester here?”

“Dean? Dean was let go this morning. Hell, I probably won’t have a job tomorrow.” Castiel said nothing and ran to the top of the stairs. Maybe they would have his address filed somewhere. “Oh, and Castiel Crowley is looking for you!” Crowley. Crowley was probably the last person he wanted to see right now.

He talked to someone in the records department and was able to explain the situation. The woman gave him the address and he jotted it down on a post-it note. He spun around on his heel and came face to face with Crowley.

“Ah, Mr. Novak, I’ve been looking for you. Where’s number twenty-five?” Castiel had no more lies to tell. The negative should have been delivered days ago, even his new boss was smart enough to know that.

“I don’t have it. It was lost in the mail, maybe. The negative was missing when we received them,” he explained.

“Well in that case, you’re fired.” Castiel said nothing. Nothing he could say would change the man’s mind. The only way he could do so was to find Gabe. And the only way to find Gabe was to find Dean.

He rode the longboard from work to Dean’s house which only took about ten minutes. It was small and in a nice part of the city. There was a basketball sitting in the yard, the hoop hanging on the frame above the garage. Castiel hopped up the three steps and knocked on the door and propped the longboard up against the railing.

“Dean I—” he began as the door swung open. But it wasn’t Dean behind the door, it was a woman. A beautiful woman. Castiel’s heart sank as he realized that it must be his ex-wife. Maybe they were getting back together.

“You’re here for Dean?” she asked.

“Um, yes. My name is Castiel, we work together.” She nodded, not seeming to care all that much.

“Dean!” She called, walking back into the house. “Dean, honey, there’s a Castiel here to see you!”

He sighed and walked back down the stairs. He didn’t really need Dean to find Gabe, he was perfectly capable to do that all on his own. But he didn’t want to, Cas liked talking to him. And Castiel found himself hoping Dean felt the same way about him.

“Hey, Cas, wait up!” Castiel spun around to see Dean rushing out of his house. He was wearing an old AC/DC t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It seemed so odd to see him in normal clothing rather than a suit and tie. “Did you find him?”

“Ah, no,” Castiel admitted. “But I think he’s in the Himalayas. I’m going there next.”

“I’ll come with you,” Dean said.

“What?”

“I want to come with you.”

“But what about Ben?” Castiel asked.

“Lisa is taking him to her place for the weekend,” Dean explained.

“So that’s the only reason she’s here?” Dean gave him a puzzled look.

“Yeah, why else would she be? We’re divorced.” Castiel’s eyes shifted to the ground and Dean snorted.

“Oh my God, Cas, you didn’t that that I—that we—what—”

“Shut up, Dean,” he muttered. Dean laughed.

“Just wait here, okay? I have to grab some cash and a passport. Let’s find that negative!”


	4. Chapter 4

So that was how Castiel ended up on a plane going to Afganistan with Dean Winchester. The likelihood of them finding Gabe was very small, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment. Dean was fidgeting in his seat. He kept looking around frantically, a line of sweat forming on his hairline. His discomfort was getting to the point where Castiel was becoming slightly concerned.

“Are you alright, Dean?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine, Cas. All good.”

“You don’t seem ‘all good’,” Castiel observed. Deans fingers were currently twisting the fabric of his shirt.

“Okay, okay, I hate planes. My brother Sammy always makes fun of me for it but it’s just not rational that a giant hunk of metal is able to float through the air.” Castiel tilted his head, slightly confused.

“So, why did you come with me?”

“Really? I thought it was obvious.”

“What is?” Castiel asked.

“That I _like_ you, Cas. In a… Non-platonic way.” Castiel grinned so widely he thought his own face might fall off.

“I like you too, Dean. In a _non-platonic_ way.” The plane began to move and Dean’s hands fell to the armrests, his fingers gripping them so tightly they turned white. “Here, take my hand.”

Dean’s fingers slotted through Castiel’s and then squeezed tightly. Cas thought that it might break under the pressure.

“Can I tell you something, Dean?”

“Go for it Cas,” Dean said, his eyes shut tightly. He looked so adorable, Castiel could hardly stand it.

“When I was in Greenland I had to get on a helicopter that was going to fly me to where Gabe was. And I was really scared to do it, but then I pictured you with a guitar singing "Night Moves" and I got on that helicopter.”

“Bob Segar?” Dean asked.

“The one and only,” Castiel said. “I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for you.”

“I feel like I’m in a similar situation right now,” Dean said. The plane took off and he groaned, pressing back into his seat.

“I’m right here, Dean. Just breathe, we’re almost in the air.” Dean, somehow, squeezed Castiel’s hand even tighter. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to feel anything in his fingers ever again. Finally, the plane stabilized and they were flying. “Dean you can open your eyes.”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Dean said. Castiel raised a hand to get the attention of one of the flight attendants.

“Can I get a ginger ale?” He asked the woman. She nodded.

“Nervous flyer?” She asked, gesturing to Dean.

“Yeah,” Castiel said.

“I’m sure he’s grateful to have a boyfriend like you.” She spun on her heel to the back of the plane to get the drink and Cas turned to look at Dean. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers, shaking slightly.

“Hey, are you doing okay?” Their hands were still glued together, Castiel got the idea Dean wasn’t going to be letting go any time soon.

“Honestly, no.”

The flight attendant returned with the drink and Cas thanked her. He handed it to Dean who took it with a shaky hand.

“It’ll calm your stomach,” Castiel told him. “My dad used to hate flying too. He always ordered ginger ale on flights.” Dean took a sip and laid back in his seat.

“How much longer?”

“Try twenty hours.” Dean groaned.

“The things I do for cute guys.” Castiel chuckled and let Dean rest his head on his shoulder. He twirled strands of his hair between his fingertips and massaged the tense muscles. A couple hours later Dean was fast asleep only after downing fifteen glasses of ginger ale. Castiel still wasn’t sure how he managed to sleep after consuming all of that sugar.

The sun woke him up. It was five in the morning when they arrived at the airport; Dean was very pleased to be off of the airplane. They got a car and found a trekking and mountaineering place right off the base of the mountains.

“Was there a man here? He would have been American, longer hair, the rugged type,” Castiel asked one of the workers who was getting their equipment.

“Yes, he was a photographer,” the worker said.

“Gabe,” Casitel whispered to Dean. It took them about an hour to be fully equipped. The worker gave them the route Gabe had took and it looked like it would be about two days before they reached him. Although this route was unguided, it did not make it in any way easy. Castiel was very fit, he ran every day, but he was showing symptoms of altitude sickness once they got high enough. He and Dean took frequent breaks so they wouldn’t pass out; doing that was the last thing they needed.

The tent was easy enough to set up. Thankfully this part of the mountains wasn’t nearly as cold or windy, but it was still nice to be out of the elements.

“Cas… I’m kind of cold,” Dean said about an hour after they were settled. Cas smiled and shook his head.

“Come here,” he said, opening his arms. Dean fell into them gratefully, pressing his back against Castiel’s chest. “Better?”

“Very,” Dean said. He turned his head to look up at Castiel, his emerald eyes gazing into his own. He never realized how many freckles Dean had. They dotted his cheeks, his nose, his forehead. The man was absolutely gorgeous, he wanted to kiss him. Dean made the move before Cas could gather his courage. His lips were soft and somehow not chapped from the cold mountain air like Castiel’s were. But Dean didn’t seem to care.

Cas balanced his weight on his right arm and leaned over Dean, letting his fingers from his left hand run through Dean’s hair. Dean’s hands were roaming over Castiel’s body, as if he couldn’t get enough of him. Castiel licked the seam of Dean’s mouth and he opened his mouth. Dean was making all of these small noises and Cas was sure that he was too. Dean made him feel something he hadn’t felt in a very long time, something he never thought he would get to have again.

***

They were up early the next morning. By the time they reached the top of a peak it was already late afternoon. From here, it seemed like they could see forever. The sun was sinking below the horizon line, beautiful oranges and reds painting the sky.

“Psst!” Castiel spun around to see Dean.

“Did you do that?”

“No,” Dean answered.

“Psst!” Castiel looked around Dean’s body to see a man crouched behind some rocks. He had a camera.

“Gabe?” Castiel gasped.

“Yeah, what’s it to you?” Castiel took off his hood and goggles.

“It’s me, Castiel Novak.”

“Castiel? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I—”

“No, come sit with me. Your friend too.” He and Dean crouched behind the rocks with Gabe O’Connor who was still looking through the lens. He was searching for something.

“I’m trying to photograph a snow leopard,” he explained. “Sightings are rare, even up here.”

“Gabe, I came about the negative. Number twenty-five.”

“What about it?”

“We never got it.” Gabe looked at him then, panic written all over his face.

“It wasn’t in the wallet I gave you?”

“The wallet?”

“Yeah, my note said ‘look inside’.”

“Oh my God,” Castiel groaned.

“Please tell me you still have it.”

“No I, uh, threw it out.”

“Well I see what gifts mean to you,” Gabe scoffed.

“No it wasn’t that,” Castiel insisted. “I was just discouraged, I was going to lose my job—which I already did—and, I don’t know, it’s just what I felt like doing at the time.” They sat in silence for a while. Dean shifted positions and Gabe spoke again.

“You going to introduce me to your friend, Castiel?”

“Oh, right. Gabe O’Connor meet Dean Winchester. Dean and I used to work at _Life_ together.”

“There she is,” Gabe breathed.

“Excuse me?” Dean said.

“The snow leopard. Here take a look.” He shifted to the side and Dean peaked through the scope.

“That is amazing,” he said. “Cas, you gotta see this.” He moved out of the way and Cas peaked inside. And it was a sight to be seen. The big cat was gorgeous, its muscles rippling underneath its sleek, white coat.

“Beautiful,” Castiel said. Gabe slid back in front of his camera again and looked through the scope. “Aren’t you going to photograph it?”

“Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” Castiel couldn’t help but think of Dean. Gabe took his camera down then and packed it back into his bag. He looked down the mountain and Castiel followed his gaze. There was a group of people playing soccer at the base of the mountain, dust flying with every kick. “Now, how about we go join in?”

***

Their flight was messed up on the way back so they had to catch another flight in San Fransisco. At the airport, they were waiting in line to get their bags checked when two TSA security guards came up to them.

“We’re going to need to ask you a few questions,” one of them said. Dean glanced at Castiel, obviously worried. They were taken to a room in the back and seated at a metal table.

“What were you doing in Afghanistan?” One of the men asked.

“We were climbing the Himalayas," Castiel answered.

“And how did you get to Afghanistan?” Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Um, through Yemen,” Dean said. The men looked unimpressed.

“Violent place.”

“That’s why the airfare’s only eighty-four dollars,” Dean countered.

“Do either of you know anyone in San Fransisco?”

***

“Oh my God you are real,” a woman with flaming red hair said when they got out of the holding room. Castiel was sure he looked much more adventurous than he felt. He hadn't shaved in days and had he wore a hiking backpack on his back.

“Charlie,” Castiel said. “I’m Castiel Novak. And this is Dean Winchester.” Charlie raised her eyebrows.

“ _The_ Dean Winchester?” Dean gave Cas a questioning glance.

“She’s from _eHarmony_ , I told her about you.”

They sat down at a table and ate some bad airport food. Charlie just had a coffee. That girl really had a mouth on her, but Castiel liked her. So did Dean.

“We have to keep in touch,” she insisted.

“Of course,” Castiel said.

“I’m sorry that I have to get back to work. I can’t believe you two have done all that crazy stuff. It makes me want to get out of my cubicle, go on a quest or something.” Dean laughed.

“See you around, Charlie,” Castiel said.

“Peace out, bitches.” She spun on her heel and walked towards the escalators.

“She’s like the little sister I never wanted,” Dean muttered and Castiel doubled over laughing. He liked Dean, a lot. And what was scary is that he could see himself spending the rest of his life with him.

***

Castiel stood with his mother, stroking the keys of her piano one last time. He couldn’t believe they had to sell it, it was heartbreaking.

“I’m sorry about the piano, mom.”

“It’s alright. It was time for that old thing to go anyhow. Now, tell me about this nice boy you went mountain hiking with.”

“His name’s Dean. He helped me find Gabe. Not that it did me any good.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well apparently Gabe put the negative in that wallet he gave me. But I tossed it out.” His mother smiled.

“You mean this?” She pulled out the small leather wallet from her purse. Happiness bubbled up inside Castiel, he was in awe of his mother. He took it from her hands and opened it up. And sure enough, the negative was tucked inside.

“Mom… How?”

“I saw you throw it out. I thought it was too nice of a wallet to waste.”

“Thank you,” Castiel said, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ve got to go. My boss needs this.”

“Go on,” she said with a smile.

He took a cab downtown and rushed into the building. It was all but empty now. The framed posters of each cover of _Life_ magazine were being removed from the walls, desks were being put into storage. Castiel knew exactly where he would find Crowley. He pushed open the doors of the conference room and all eyes moved to him. Crowley was at the front of the room giving a presentation, one Castiel had just interrupted. But he could care less.

“Here’s the negative,” Castiel said, sliding it down the table. “And for the record, I understand you have bosses to answer to and this is a business like any other. But the people who worked here, the people who brought this magazine to life, they worked by a motto: ‘To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel, that is the purpose of life.’ That is the motto of _Life_ magazine, and it’s something you better damn well remember.” And then he walked right back out. And in that moment, like so many recent ones he had in the past week, Castiel Novak felt unstoppable.

***

“You said that to Crowley?” Dean asked. He seemed astounded. They were walking down the street holding hands, Ben riding the longboard Castiel gave him up ahead.

“I did.”

“Did you ever see the picture?”

“Nope, I didn’t even bother to look.” Dean pointed ahead of them.

“Look there’s a newsstand. The last copy should be out, should we buy one?” Castiel smiled.

“Sure,” he said, squeezing Dean’s hand. They walked up and Dean’s jaw dropped. Castiel was so shocked by the photograph, he could barely believe it was the correct one.

“Cas… Cas it’s you,” Dean said. And it was him. Sitting in front of the building he used to work at, holding a negative up to the sun. Dean insisted on buying the magazine for him. He said he wanted to have it framed. But as he watched Dean talking, smiling, laughing, he couldn’t help but think of Gabe O’Connor’s words: _Beautiful things don’t ask for attention_. They really didn’t, did they?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I based this fic off of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". If you haven't read the short story or seen the movie I would highly recommend it. If you have any feedback, comment below! Thanks again <333


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